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Re: Broken wing (humor bone)
Posted by Marcos Gomez on 3/10/06

Thanks Fran for your suggestions. At this point, I really only
wonder one thing. (I'll try to be concise)

The vet says I should keep him in a smaller cage. He is constantly
chirping and warbling with his buddy in the other cage. Isn't that
causing additional stress? The vet wanted him in the smaller cage
so he would not be as mobile. In theory that is fine. But in
reality, he keeps moving around and pinning himself to the cage
bars trying to get to his chirping buddy. He loves his buddy,
chasing and preening endlessly when together.

So here is the question, isn't any possible benefit of him being
isolated in a smaller cage so that he can heal, outweighed by the
fact that if he was back with his buddy in the cockatiel cage, he
would be close with him, and thus less stressful? To make matters
worse, his buddy is stressed because he misses the bird with the
broken wing.

I am just at the point where I feel they need to be together again,
and I want to pull him out of loneliness and isolation of the
little cage to put him back with his buddy in the big cockatiel
cage. The vet just does not seem to understand the true dynamics as
to what is happening here.

Comments welcome....Marcos


On 3/10/06, Fran wrote:
> Marcos, six weeks seems like a long time for your bird to be in
> a splint. My cockatiel broke her leg years ago and was in a cast
> for three weeks. My vet told me at the time that birds' bones
> heal much faster than mammals, due to their metabolism and bone
> structure. So you may not have as long a road as you think, as
> your vet may decide to take the bandage off sooner, check with
> him on this.
> As far as; is it worth it, I'm not sure what you're referring
> to, but if its' is it worth saving your budgie, definitely yes!
> Since he is a pet bird who lives in a cage anyway, the ability
> to fly is not a big deal if he doesn't regain it fully (which he
> very well may). Actually it's not all that uncommon for pet
> birds to lose a wing entirely due to injury or illness and
> survive fine as pets.
> I would stay the course and in the meantime pamper your injured
> budgie as much as possible. If not already, get him some millet
> sprays or a "honey stick" and put on the bottom of his cage for
> him to enjoy.
>
> As far as the biting, your bird has been through a very
> stressful ordeal. For the first time in his life he was handled
> in a painful way by humans while the vet was attending him.
> This, of course could not be avoided, but it will take a little
> while for the trauma to wear off and for him to trust hands
> again.
>
> I think you are doing fine with him. Just pamper, give him his
> time and I feel he will heal nicely, and possibly bond closer to
> you in the end. I think animals have sense for when they are
> being taken care of. My cockatiel who broke his leg, though mad
> at first, ended up being my closest bonded bird.

Posts on this thread, including this one

• Broken wing (humor bone), 3/09/06, by Marcos Gomez.
• Re: Broken wing (humor bone), 3/09/06, by MKay.
• Re: Broken wing (humor bone), 3/09/06, by Marcos Gomez.
• Re: Broken wing (humor bone), 3/10/06, by Fran.
• Re: Broken wing (humor bone), 3/10/06, by Marcos Gomez.
• Re: Broken wing (humor bone), 3/10/06, by Fran .
• Re: Broken wing (humor bone), 3/10/06, by Jim.
• Re: Broken wing (humor bone), 3/10/06, by Marcos Gomez.
• Re: Broken wing (humor bone), 3/10/06, by Marcos Gomez.
• Re: Broken wing (humor bone)--idea, 3/10/06, by MKay.
• Re: Broken wing (humor bone)--idea, 3/10/06, by Marcos Gomez.
• Re: Broken wing/Marcos, 3/14/06, by Jim.
• Re: Broken wing/Marcos Thanks for the support, 3/14/06, by Marcos.
• Re: Broken wing - update on how Vonci's doing?, 3/24/06, by Jim.
• Re: Broken wing (humor bone), 8/16/07, by raindrops.
• Re: Broken wing (humor bone), 8/16/07, by raindrops.